Attitudes, weight stigma and misperceptions of weight loss strategies among patients living with obesity in the Lazio Region, Italy.

Introduction: Patient engagement is essential to achieve long-term goals in obesity management. It is crucial to identify patients' perspectives, misperceptions and unmet educational needs on obesity etiology and treatments, to establish a correct therapeutic alliance between healthcare providers and patients.

Methods: Objective: This study, promoted by the regional section of the Italian Obesity Society (SIO Lazio), explores attitudes towards obesity, self-awareness, misperceptions of weight loss strategies, experiences of weight stigma and educational needs of patients living with overweight or obesity.

Postbariatric surgery hypoglycemia: Nutritional, pharmacological and surgical perspectives.

Post-bariatric hypoglycaemia (PBH) is a metabolic complication of bariatric surgery (BS), consisting of low post-prandial glucose levels in patients having undergone bariatric procedures. While BS is currently the most effective and relatively safe treatment for obesity and its complications, the development of PBH can significantly impact patients' quality of life and mental health. The diagnosis of PBH is still challenging, considering the lack of definitive and reliable diagnostic tools, and the fact that this condition is frequently asymptomatic.

Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 in Chronic Hepatitis C: A Potential Non-Invasive Biomarker of Liver Status upon Viral Eradication.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), previously recognized as a marker of liver damage and a potential drug target in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), has unclear implications in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between FGF-21 levels and liver health in patients with HCV undergoing direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment. Forty-five patients were assessed for liver stiffness, blood chemistry, and other relevant metrics before and after achieving sustained viral response (SVR), defined as the absence of detectable HCV-RNA after 24 weeks of treatment.

Women with type 1 diabetes gain more weight during pregnancy compared to age-matched healthy women despite a healthier diet: a prospective case-control observational study.

Purpose: Women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), especially those with suboptimal glucose control, have 3-4 greater chances of having babies with birth defects compared to healthy women. We aimed to evaluate glucose control and insulin regimen modifications during the pregnancy of women with T1D, comparing the offspring's weight and the mother's weight change and diet with those of non-diabetic, normal-weight pregnant women.

Methods: Women with T1D and age-matched healthy women controls (CTR) were consecutively enrolled among pregnant women with normal weight visiting our center.

Sex difference in the safety and efficacy of bariatric procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

With the prevalence of obesity alarmingly increasing, it is of primary interest to identify those factors predicting the success of anti-obesity therapeutic strategies currently adopted in clinical practice, and in particular, those of bariatric procedures showing the greatest success in terms of weight loss and maintenance in both the short and long term. Given sex-related differences in psychosocial status, hormonal homeostasis, and body fat distribution, it is likely that the response to different weight management strategies differs by sex. The objective was to elucidate the effect of sex on different bariatric procedures' efficacy and safety outcomes.

Effects of diet and antihyperglycemic drugs on erectile dysfunction: A systematic review.

Background: Erectile dysfunction is recognized as one of the complications of diabetes mellitus. To date, a wide gap of knowledge is present on the efficacy of pharmacological treatments of diabetes mellitus on erectile function, acting not only through metabolic control. Similarly, the effects of different diet regimens on erectile dysfunction are still debated.

Development and Validation of a Score for Fibrotic Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Background & Aims: Noninvasive assessment of histological features of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been an intensive research area over the last decade. Herein, we aimed to develop a simple noninvasive score using routine laboratory tests to identify, among individuals at high risk for NAFLD, those with fibrotic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) defined as NASH, NAFLD activity score ≥4, and fibrosis stage ≥2.

Methods: The derivation cohort included 264 morbidly obese individuals undergoing intraoperative liver biopsy in Rome, Italy.

Rapid Weight Loss, Central Obesity Improvement and Blood Glucose Reduction Are Associated with a Stronger Adaptive Immune Response Following COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine.

Obesity is associated with a poor COVID-19 prognosis, and it seems associated with reduced humoral response to vaccination. Public health campaigns have advocated for weight loss in subjects with obesity, hoping to eliminate this risk. However, no evidence proves that weight loss leads to a better prognosis or a stronger immune response to vaccination.

Accuracy of controlled attenuation parameter for assessing liver steatosis in individuals with morbid obesity before bariatric surgery.

Background & Aims: The ultrasound-based controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) is a non-invasive tool widely validated for assessing liver steatosis across different etiologies. However, few studies, with liver biopsy available, have investigated its performance in individuals with morbid obesity. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CAP in participants with morbid obesity from the MAFALDA study before bariatric surgery.

Bone density and genomic analysis unfold cold adaptation mechanisms of ancient inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego.

The Fuegians, ancient inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego, are an exemplary case of a cold-adapted population, since they were capable of living in extreme climatic conditions without any adequate clothing. However, the mechanisms of their extraordinary resistance to cold remain enigmatic. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a crucial role in this kind of adaptation, besides having a protective role on the detrimental effect of low temperatures on bone structure.

SGLT-2 Inhibitors on Top of Current Pharmacological Treatments for Heart Failure: A Comparative Review on Outcomes and Cost Effectiveness.

Heart failure (HF) represents a major global health and economic burden with still unacceptably high morbidity and mortality rates. In recent decades, novel therapeutic opportunities with a significant impact on HF outcomes have been introduced in addition to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, β-blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. These include drugs such as ivabradine, sacubitril-valsartan, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors.

Metabolic and genetic determinants for progression to severe liver disease in subjects with obesity from the UK Biobank.

Background: Obesity is among the main determinants of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease progression towards severe liver disease (SLD). However, risk factors for SLD in individuals with obesity have not been examined.

Objectives: To identify the independent risk factors for SLD among participants with obesity from the UK Biobank.

An extra virgin olive oil-enriched chocolate spread positively modulates insulin-resistance markers compared with a palm oil-enriched one in healthy young adults: A double-blind, cross-over, randomised controlled trial.

Aims: To investigate if extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or palm oil enriched chocolate spreads consumption leads to different results in terms of plasma ceramides concentration, glucose and lipid metabolism, inflammatory markers and appetite regulation in young healthy subjects.

Methods: In a 2-week, double-blind, cross-over, randomised controlled trial, 20 healthy, normal-weight subjects with a mean age of 24.2 years (SD: 1.

Platelet Effects of Anti-diabetic Therapies: New Perspectives in the Management of Patients with Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease.

In type 2 diabetes, anti-thrombotic management is challenging, and current anti-platelet agents have demonstrated reduced efficacy. Old and new anti-diabetic drugs exhibited-besides lowering blood glucose levels-direct and indirect effects on platelet function and on thrombotic milieu, eventually conditioning cardiovascular outcomes. The present review summarizes existing evidence on the effects of glucose-lowering agents on platelet properties, addressing pre-clinical and clinical research, as well as drug-drug interactions with anti-platelet agents.

Branched-Chain Amino Acids in relation to food preferences and insulin resistance in obese subjects consuming walnuts: A cross-over, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled inpatient physiology study.

Background&aims: To assess whether the concentrations of circulating Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) change after walnut consumption and, whether these changes are associated with alterations in markers of insulin resistance and food preferences.

Methods: In a crossover, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, ten subjects participated in two 5-day inpatient study admissions, during which they had a smoothie containing 48 g walnuts or a macronutrient-matched placebo smoothie without nuts every morning. Between the two phases there was a 1-month washout period.

Could ketogenic diet "starve" cancer? Emerging evidence.

Cancer cells (CCs) predominantly use aerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect) for their metabolism. This important characteristic of CCs represents a potential metabolic pathway to be targeted in the context of tumor treatment. Being this mechanism related to nutrient oxidation, dietary manipulation has been hypothesized as an important strategy during tumor treatment.

The utility of assessing C-peptide in patients with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.

Aims: We aimed at evaluating residual β-cell function in insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) while determining for the first time the difference in C-peptide level between patients on basal-bolus compared to those on the basal insulin scheme, considered as an early stage of insulin treatment, together with assessing its correlation with the presence of complications.

Methods: A total of 93 candidates with T2D were enrolled in this cross-sectional study and were categorized into two groups based on the insulin regimen: Basal-Bolus (BB) if on both basal and rapid acting insulin, and Basal (B) if on basal insulin only, without rapid acting injections. HbA1c, fasting C-peptide concentration and other metabolic parameters were recorded, as well as the patient medical history.

Liver disease in obesity and underweight: the two sides of the coin. A narrative review.

Purpose: Malnutrition, whether characterized by not enough or too much nutrient intake, is detrimental to the liver. We herein provide a narrative literature revision relative to hepatic disease occurrence in over or undernourished subjects, to shed light on the paradox where both sides of malnutrition lead to similar liver dysfunction and fat accumulation.

Methods: Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched for publications up to July 2020.

The gastro-jejunal anastomosis site influences dumping syndrome and weight regain in patients with obesity undergoing Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

Purpose: The Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (LRYGB) is an effective weight loss procedure. The gastro-jejunal (GJ) anastomosis required can be performed on the anterior or posterior gastric pouch wall. No studies have compared these variants in terms of efficacy and onset of dumping syndrome (DS) and weight regain (WR).

Current Evidence to Propose Different Food Supplements for Weight Loss: A Comprehensive Review.

The use of food supplements for weight loss purposes has rapidly gained popularity as the prevalence of obesity increases. Navigating through the vast, often low quality, literature available is challenging, as is providing informed advice to those asking for it. Herein, we provide a comprehensive literature revision focusing on most currently marketed dietary supplements claimed to favor weight loss, classifying them by their purported mechanism of action.